


Birdsong

by boldlygoingnowherefast



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Stranded, Technobabble
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 06:08:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17319431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boldlygoingnowherefast/pseuds/boldlygoingnowherefast
Summary: When Data and Geordi are stranded on a planet with a strange forcefield keeping the Enterprise from beaming them up, they must work together to find a way to escape. Geordi struggles with keeping his feelings a secret from Data, which is made more difficult by the extended time spent alone with him.





	Birdsong

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted a fic where Data and Geordi get stranded together, and this is the result!

“We’ve lost all impulse power!” Geordi shouted. “Auxiliary power not online!”

Data’s fingers flew over the controls. “Prepare for crash landing. Brace yourself!”

Wind buffeted the shuttle, pushing it around like a loose piece of cutlery in a sonic washer. Thunder crashed and rain pounded against the front windshield to the point that visibility was nearly zero. Geordi trusted Data to bring them in safely, but crash landings were never fun. He was doing all he could to get them any power at all, but the shuttle was dead in the air and heading quickly for land.

“Impact in fifteen seconds!”

Data counted them down until the roar outside the shuttle was so loud that his voice was drowned out in the cacophony. There was a terrible lurch, a metal crunching sound, and then Geordi’s world went dark.

 

“Geordi, are you conscious?”

Geordi groaned and opened his eyes. Data’s glowing visage came into focus crouched over him with mild concern etched onto his features.

“What happened?” As soon as the words left Geordi’s mouth, the shuttle crash came flooding back into his mind. He realized he was lying flat on his back and could feel cool air on his face. “Did you pull me out of the shuttle?”

Data nodded. “None of the internal sensors on the shuttle are functioning, and there was an alarming amount of smoke coming from the repulsions systems. I determined that the safest course of action was to evacuate.”

The rain had stopped, but the sky was still an ominous grey. Underneath him, the ground was wet, and the trees that surrounded their handmade clearing were heavy with water. Geordi sat up and saw that the shuttle was a few yards away and that it had stopped smoking.

“Well, at least it doesn’t look like it’s going to explode anymore,” Geordi said. He sighed and pressed his communicator, only to get the sad feedback sound that spoke of malfunction.

“The storm clouds above us are ion clouds, and they are disrupting communication,” Data said. “Until the storm clears, we will not be able to get through to the Enterprise.”

Geordi sighed. “How did we fail to pick up this storm on the Enterprise scanners?”

“The atmosphere of this planet seems to have tricked our sensors. For instance, there was supposed to have been a large body of water in our proximity, and the scans showed no mountain ranges. There is a mountain range east of our location, and there are no large bodies of water.”

Geordi frowned. “So you’re saying this planet is completely different than what the sensors told us.”

“It is Class M, it is temperate in climate, and there is no intelligent life. Other than that, it is entirely different than what we expected.”

Geordi sighed. “Well, we should figure out what we can salvage from the shuttle and go from there. We could be stuck here for a few hours or a few days, depending on the coverage of those clouds.”

Data nodded and helped Geordi stand. “The main computer system on the shuttle is down, but I have not had time yet to test the other systems.”

Geordi followed Data into the shuttle, dark and quiet but for a few flickering red lights that spoke of massive internal failures. Geordi knew there would be no getting it back into the sky, but it was important that they see if the communications array was still working, and maybe the replicator as well.

A few minutes of tinkering was all it took for them to realize the supplies they would need to fix communications were on the Enterprise. Geordi rubbed a hand across his forehead.

“What hit us, anyway?” Geordi asked. “It was enough to drain us of our power almost immediately, and I’d say it’d take a pretty intense ion charge to do that.”

“I was wondering that, as well, but I do not have enough information to make any other hypotheses. There is something odd about this planet, so it would be prudent for us to remain alert.”

Geordi nodded. “Let’s check the replicator.”

Data nodded and followed him to the back of the shuttle.

 

After three hours of poking around, trying to reroute what little power the shuttle had left, and getting elbow-deep in the mechanics of the replicator, the only thing they could get the replicator to produce was water. Replicators were designed so that with even the most major malfunctions, clean water would replicate. Water was important to have, of course, but their food rations wouldn’t last forever.

The Enterprise would just have to get them off the planet before the rations ran out, or Geordi would be scavenging for edible plants to avoid starving.

After determining that the only systems functioning on the ship were life support, navigation, and the sensors, Geordi pried the cover off of the emergency supply hatch to see what they had.

“Four life vests, two pop-up all-weather tents, twenty packs of emergency rations, three flares, two palm beacons, a stocked second-class first aid kit, a pocket laser, and a water purifier.” Geordi ticked each item off his mental list of what was imperative to have when stranded on an M-class planet.

“Everything appears to be accounted for,” Data said. “I assume that for now, we will want to stay near the shuttle, since the replicator is supplying water, and the shuttle will provide sturdier shelter than a tent.”

“Yeah. We can leave any exploring for when the sun’s out. Let’s hope these ion clouds clear before any of this is necessary.”

The rain started up again around mid-day, leaving Geordi and Data to stare out of the shuttle and into the gale.

“Well, this is less than ideal,” Geordi muttered. The dark clouds blocked out nearly all the sunlight, leaving the planet dark and grey. Geordi was glad for the interior lighting of the shuttle.

“Judging by the cloud spread and the speed and direction of the wind, this storm will last at least another four hours.”

Geordi shook his head and wondered what the crew was doing to try to get them off the planet.

 

The rain let up when Data estimated it would, but the clouds continued to cover the sky like a thick, wool blanket. Geordi reluctantly cracked open the first ration packet and stared at its colorless interior.

“I hate these things,” Geordi muttered.

Data, who had decided to continue working with the communications system to see if he could at least send a short message to the Enterprise, turned his head and gave Geordi a curious look from where he was sitting by the navigation console.

“Humans put great importance on the flavor of a food item that they consume. I have often wondered what it is like to like or dislike the taste of something.”

Geordi shook his head as he took a bite of the bland ration bar. “You’d think that someone would have figured out how to make these things taste better by now.” He turned to Data and saw that he was watching Geordi with the curious expression he wore when he was fascinated by something human. “You know, Data. Taste is one of the more visceral of our senses. It’s fairly simple, compared to sight, touch, and hearing, but we humans find it incredibly important in our daily lives.”

Data tilted his head to the side in that way that Geordi found endearing. “Deanna often describes the taste of chocolate as a religious experience.”

Geordi smiled. “The taste of something we love can be very powerful to humans.”

There was a loud crack of thunder from outside and Geordi sighed. “You know, I’ve never liked storms.”

Data sat back from the communications array and joined Geordi at the shuttle hatch to stare out at the clouds and rain that had started again.

“Storms bring both life and destruction. Humans have divisive opinions about them.”

Geordi nudged Data in the side with his elbow. “What about you? How do you feel about storms?”

Data gave Geordi a curious look and then directed his attention back out at the rain. “I prefer the climate of planets that have common storms. Sand is rough on my systems. I find the sound of rain and thunder fascinating, though there are times it impedes our missions.” Data tilted his head. “I would say I have an appreciation for storms, though this particular storm does not have my approval.”

Geordi laughed. “You know, Data, for as much as you say you don’t understand humans, that was a very human thing to say.”

Data’s mouth curled up at the corners.

 

A cloudy morning turned into a hot and humid day, and the shuttle quickly became muggy and disgusting. They retreated from its steadily heating interiors and out into the clearing. Geordi rolled the sleeves of his uniform up to his elbows and wiped his brow.

“Even with the cloud cover, this place is hot.” The air was thick and cloying, and it was enough to make Geordi want the rain back.

Data looked up from the tricorder he had been monitoring. “Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, Geordi. Your body will be unaccustomed to such an environment.”

Geordi resisted rolling his eyes and uncapped the water vessel in his hand. “I’m drinking water, Data, don’t worry.” He took a gulp from the vessel to demonstrate.

Data watched him from the corner of his eye but did not comment further. 

They sat there as the storms clouds slowly burned away under the glare of the afternoon sun. Geordi watched his tricorder for the break in the ion field of ion particles, eager to get out of the muggy heat and take a nice shower in his quarters.

The ion readings were getting into the safe numbers, and the tricorder should have been able to pick up atmosphere readings from above the cloud line. Geordi’s tricorder was still giving him a frustrating blank.

“This makes no sense!” Geordi cried in frustration. “The ion count is down! The readings should be close to normal at this point.”

Data was frowning at his own tricorder. “Perhaps the ion storm is not to blame for our misfortunes. An ion storm would not have given us incongruous readings.”

“We need to get back in that shuttle,” Geordi responded. “If we dig into the sensors, we might be able to look at what readings we were getting right when everything went offline.”

They braved the hot shuttle.

Geordi had sweat pouring down his face by the time they had one of the sensor displays scrolling through the readings taken up to the moment of the catastrophic power failure. Both Data and Geordi were hunched over the screen, trying to pick out anything strange from the mass of raw figures.

“Whatever it is, it tricked the Enterprise sensors into thinking the terrain of this planet was different than it is,” Geordi mumbled as he swiped the back of his hand across his forehead. “When did you say we lost power, exactly?” he asked Data.

“My internal clock tells me it was right around when our shuttle entered the lower Mesosphere, into the Stratosphere.”

Geordi squinted at the sensor readings. “What is  _that_?” he breathed, pointing. He froze the readout and highlighted the line he was looking at.

“An unknown charged particle,” Data said, leaning in to take a closer look. “In high concentrations, moving at high speeds.”

“The Enterprise sensors wouldn’t have been scanning for something unrecognizable like this, but shuttle sensors will pick up just about anything in the way of a shuttle,” Geordi said. “But these base readings aren’t going to be enough to figure out exactly what we’re looking at.”

“We could configure a tricorder booster,” Data said. “With the shuttle working, we would not need one, but the shuttle is definitely not functioning.”

Geordi smiled. It had been a long time since he had made a tricorder booster from scratch, but it had been a part of his Starfleet survival training, just like everyone else.

Together, Data and Geordi began assembling the supplies needed to put together a booster to place on the end of a tricorder to get it to take more in-depth readings. All of the supplies were items easily found on a shuttle, and it took them only about twenty minutes to fill their arms with the needed supplies and exit the shuttle.

They set to work outside, twisting wires and fitting the slats of metal sheeting against one another. It had been a long time for both of them, but Data didn’t have the disadvantage of a fading memory to slow him down. Soon, their extra tricorder was outfitted with a small dish-like fixture that they had pointed up at the sky. They had wired the tricorder to the shuttle displays, where there was more room for numbers than on a tiny tricorder screen.

“Alright, I say we power this up,” Geordi said, grinning. “I feel like a kid working on a science fair project again.”

Data peered at him curiously. “What about this particular activity makes you feel that way?”

“Well, it’s about making something new from parts you have lying around. It’s haphazard. When I was in middle school, I made a solar-powered watering system, using only stuff my mom and dad had in the house. That is what this feels like.”

“I can see the merit of a project of this type,” Data said. “There is a sort of accomplishment that comes from piecing something together from unconventional sources, especially when the final product works.”

Geordi grinned. “Now, we don’t know for certain if it works.”

Data clicked the tricorder on and they both watched as the contraption whirred to life. It was taking the power it needed from the power cell that Geordi had taken from the shuttle storage. The power cell held very little energy, but it was enough to boost the tricorder signal.

Data followed Geordi into the shuttle to see if the readings were recording the way they were supposed to. When they saw a screen full of much more complex numbers and figures than what had been there before, Geordi’s grin broadened into a full smile.

“Here we go!”

They both crowded around the small screen and began combing through the sensor readings to find the charged particles that the shuttle sensors had picked up.

“Here!” Geordi crowed.

Both Geordi and Data fell silent as they examined the results of their sensor readings, both from curiosity and on Geordi’s part, astonishment.

“What is this?” Geordi breathed. It was a sort of barrier, stretched across the middle atmosphere of the planet. It was throwing up false readings so that anything that tried to scan the planet from above saw one that was different than the planet below. It messed up transporters and communications, and it sucked all power from shuttlecraft.

“This is not a natural occurrence,” Data said.

“Do you think this field effectively hid sentient life from the Enterprise sensors?” Geordi murmured.

“There is a chance.”

The boosted tricorder currently had a radius of 500 kilometers. Based on what Geordi was seeing, the field had no blemishes or breaks in that radius, and neither was there any sentient life that the tricorder could pick up within that radius. If there was sentient life on this planet, it was past what they could read.

“Well, if we want to get off this planet, we’re going to have to figure out how to get through the energy field,” Geordi said. “Just long enough to transport.”

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, they ran a series of projections using different field generators and particle emitters to see if any of them would break through the field, but nothing they tried had any success.

After three hours behind the sensor array, Geordi pushed away from it with a groan. “My head is starting to hurt in earnest now. I’m going to get some sleep.”

Data looked up at him, his face cast in the blue-green glow of the displays. “I will continue to work and keep watch.”

Geordi sighed. “I know you can technically keep working just fine, but don’t work yourself too hard, okay?”

Data tilted his head and nodded. “Sleep well, Geordi.”

Geordi curled up in the top bunk on the shuttle and fell into an exhausted slumber immediately.

 

Geordi woke up to the sound of beeping coming from outside. He climbed out of the bunk and noticed that Data was no longer in the shuttle. Geordi followed the beeping into the crisp morning air.

“Data?”

Data was pressing buttons on the tricorder, bent over the tiny screen and so engrossed in what he was doing that he didn’t hear Geordi approach. The beeping got progressively more frequent, and Geordi realized that Data had calibrated the tricorder to search for a particular substance, and he was narrowing the parameters of the search to find it. The beeping steadied, and Geordi watched as Data got close enough to the tricorder for his nose to be nearly touching it.

When Data finally pulled away, he blinked up at Geordi. “Geordi! Good morning.”

Geordi smiled. “Good morning, Data. Whatcha doing?”

“At 1200 hours this morning, I began running simulations using minerals native to this planet. I hypothesized that the civilization that set up the field would have needed some way to get through it, and it was logical that they would use a resource available on their planet. At 0200 hours, I finally found a mineral that when focused into a particle beam directly at the field, caused the field to break.”

“Data, that’s great! You’re locating it, aren’t you?” Geordi asked, gesturing to the tricorder setup.

Data nodded. “That is the bad news. The strongest deposit of ceramite is in that mountain range, which is a five-day walk from our current location.”

Geordi turned to look at the mountains reaching up through the clouds in the distance and felt the enormity of the task they had to accomplish settle over his shoulders. “Are you sure this is the only way?”

“I am. I ran through all the other available resources on this planet, and ceramite is the only one that works, and it cannot be synthesized from other elements. The chances of the crew of the Enterprise discovering the mineral needed to break through the barrier is very low.”

Geordi ran a hand over the back of his neck. “We’re going to have to create a portable particle beam emitter. We don’t want to walk all the way to the mountain range and back.”

“I have already been brainstorming what such a device might look like. Would you like to see my designs?”

They spent the rest of the morning puzzling through a portable particle beam emitter, retreating into the tree line when the midday sun became too strong for Geordi to handle after years of living under starship lights.

Geordi chewed on a ration bar and drew his finger across the design on the reader. “This is going to be bulky, even for you,” he said to Data. “I think we should slim these edges by reducing the size of the transducer. I think…” He trailed off, shoving the ration bar between his teeth as he began adjusting the blueprints with both hands.

Data watched him with interest.

“There!” Geordi said after he had taken the ration bar back out of his mouth. He presented the reader to Data, who took it and examined it for a few moments.

“This should work, and I should have no difficulty carrying it in my pack.”

Geordi smiled. “Now we just have to build it.”

Building the particle beam emitter was the work of two days spent both inside the shuttle to escape the bouts of pouring rain and outside to escape the heated insides of the shuttle. After two days of tinkering and calibrating and testing, they finally had their portable particle beam emitter that was small enough to fit in Data’s travel pack.

They spent the evening before they planned on leaving for the mountains making sure they had all the supplies they needed for a five-day trip through the woods.

“Tents?”

“Right here,” Geordi said.

“Palm beacon?”

“Check.”

“Water purifier?”

“Check.”

Geordi spent his last night in the bunk hoping that this trip through the woods of this uncharted planet would be uneventful but feeling, for some reason, that that was unlikely. He drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

The morning was cloudy and cool, and the tree cover made the beginning of their long trek pleasant. If Geordi ignored the way his uniform clung to his body and the way his chin was beginning to prickle with a beard, he could almost imagine that he and Data had decided to take a walk in the holodeck together, and that a simple command could bring the arch fizzling out of the woods and allow them to step through onto the Enterprise.

The weight of the survival pack on his back reminded Geordi that a layer of charged particles kept the Enterprise from beaming them away from this planet.

As the sun reached its zenith, Geordi began to feel sweat collecting on his brow and around the collar of his uniform. He pulled his pack off his back and reached for the zipper on the back of his uniform.

“Geordi?”

“It’s too hot for this, and there’s no one here that needs to see a Starfleet uniform,” Geordi responded. He tugged the jacket off his shoulders and shoved it into his pack before returning the pack to his shoulders. He was much more comfortable in his black undershirt, finally able to feel the slight breeze that cut through the trees.

“If you need to rest, Geordi, please let me know. I will not get tired like you do, and you do not want to over-exert yourself.” Data said, giving Geordi an earnest look.

“I’ll make sure to tell you when I’m getting tired.”

During the hottest part of the day, they escaped under the thick branches of a large tree, and Geordi ate a ration pack and drank a few healthy gulps of water under Data’s watchful eye. Data had been watching him closely since the moment Geordi had woken up flat on his back in the clearing, and Geordi had to wonder what exactly was going through that neural net of his. Geordi knew that Data was protective of him, had been protective of him for a long time, but usually, Data wasn’t stranded with Geordi on an unknown planet. Maybe Data was finally realizing just how vulnerable Geordi was to the elements.

“You know, Data, I’m pretty happy with the planet we happened to get ourselves stranded on,” Geordi began. “No vicious animals, no dangerous storms. So far, it’s been pleasant, all things considered.”

“You do have a point,” Data conceded.

“A little warm, if you ask me, but there’s nothing here that wants to kill me, which is always a plus.”

“Murderous intent does not eliminate all the possible causes of death, Geordi.”

Geordi leaned forward and grasped Data’s hand where it was resting on his crossed legs. His hand was warm. Data’s brow furrowed.

“Data. We’re  _both_ going to make it out of this alive, okay? We’ve been in worse situations. The Enterprise is out there waiting to pull us out of here, and we have a plan. There’s nothing here that can hurt either of us, and I am utterly confident in your ability to eliminate anything that  _can._ ”

Data gazed at him for a few silent moments and then nodded once, something determined settling in his gaze. “You are right.”

Geordi smiled and patted Data’s hand before releasing it. “Now, let’s use up the last of this daylight.”

They hiked until it began to get dark, and they set up their tents between two large trees, sheltered from the wind and any potential rain. Geordi lay in his tent and thought about Data’s concerned expression and his determination to keep Geordi safe. He felt warmth settle in his chest, and despite their circumstances, he was happy.

 

With so much time to themselves, Geordi and Data picked up theoretical debates about warp theories that led to winding conversations about Sherlock Holmes’ best qualities which eventually eased into companionable silence. Geordi kept shooting sideways glances towards his hiking companion and thinking about that striking profile, literally glowing in the display of his VISOR.

He thought about Data’s hand, soft under his, and his gentle gaze.

“Do you hear that?” Data asked, his voice cutting through that dangerous line of thinking.

“Hear what?” Geordi asked. A blush stained his cheeks, but luckily, Data was staring up into the treetops.

A dazzling cry cut through the air, and Geordi wondered how he had missed it the first time.

“What  _is_  that?” he breathed.

Data waited for the call to sound again and then tilted his head. “It sounds like birdcall. There is no way to know for certain, of course.”

Another call, echoing across the treetops. It was lonely—a cry for companionship. They listened to it call twice more as they walked, and then it fell silent. Geordi wondered if it had found a mate, or if it was left searching, alone.

Data’s shoulder brushed his as they walked, and Geordi shot him a smile. “If we weren’t stranded here, this place might be really nice.”

“It is a shame that our discovery of this place happened the way that it did.”

Geordi stared up at the glowing tops of the trees and agreed.

 

“You’d think that Starfleet would design their uniforms with more breathability,” Geordi panted. They had found a stream that morning, and though Geordi had bathed in it, he was already beginning to feel sticky. Even stripped down to his undershirt, he felt stuffy and stiff.

“Despite claims of field testing, Starfleet uniform designers rarely take situations like this into proper account when designing uniforms.”

Geordi smiled. “They’re more concerned with how the shoulder pads will make everyone look  _broader_ and more impressive. Well, I’d rather have some nice wicking material than look  _broad._ ”

“I am sure you could submit a formal complaint,” Data responded, quiet humor in his expression.

On the third day of their hike, the terrain began sloping upward and getting rockier. Data pulled out the tricorder periodically to make sure they were headed towards where the sensors had located the deposit of ceramite, and they continually adjusted their route to compensate.

Geordi’s legs began aching at the strain of walking on an incline, and his back had taken up a near constant ache from the amount of walking they had been doing. Geordi wasn’t out of shape—you weren’t allowed to be out of shape on a starship—but this was a bit more than a yearly fitness test.

“How full is your canteen?” Data asked as the sun began to set. The air was beginning to get cooler, which spoke of higher altitudes and mountain climates.

Geordi reached into the side of his pack. “Almost empty.”

Data tilted his head. “I can hear running water in that direction,” he said with a gesture northwards. “If you fill your canteen, I will start a fire.”

“You got it.” Geordi set off in the direction Data had indicated. It wasn’t long before Geordi heard the running water as well, and the promise of something to wash his face with quickened his pace. His attention locked far ahead of him and not on his feet, he didn’t notice the small rocky ledge until his right foot plunged through empty air.

Letting out a shout of alarm, Geordi tumbled. He flung his arms out in an attempt to catch his fall, but a trick of the terrain had hidden a sloping incline from Geordi’s line of vision, and he was unable to prevent a tumble down the slope. Twigs and rocks caught on his bare arms and face, and with a painful thud, his back collided with the base of a tree at the bottom of the slope.

“Geordi!”

Geordi blinked up at the fading sunlight and tried to regain his bearings. It didn’t feel like anything was broken, and his head wasn’t fuzzy. Geordi brushed dirt and leaves off of his shirt and sat up. His arms were burning with little scratches and the left side of his face was warm. It seemed like his pack had also burst, which meant Geordi was going to have to go digging through the leaves to get everything back where it belonged. “I’m down here, Data.”

Data’s face came into view at the top of the ledge. Looking up, Geordi realized he had tumbled a good three meters.

Data immediately began traversing his way down the slope. His long legs bent awkwardly as leaves slid out from beneath his feet.

“Data, I’m alright.”

Data came to a stop in front of him and knelt down to his level. “You are bleeding, Geordi.”

Geordi touched the side of his face and saw that his fingers came back wet. “Huh. I think I scraped my face against a twig or something. I don’t think it’s too bad.”

“Are you injured anywhere else? Did you hit your head?”

“I didn’t hit my head. Honestly, Data, I’m just a little scraped up.”

Data helped him to his feet.

“My pack split. Will you help me collect it all?” Geordi asked as he held up the nearly empty bag.

Together, they put everything back in Geordi’s pack.

Frustration and exhaustion made Geordi’s motions jerky as they finally made it to the stream to fill up Geordi’s canteen. Geordi splashed his face to remove the blood and felt the warm sting of the open wound on his cheek. He was such an idiot, sometimes. He could feel Data’s eyes on him.

When they made it back to the campsite, he stewed in silence on a fallen tree while Data built a fire.

Data had a large fire going within twenty minutes, and warmth billowed from it in slow waves, seeping the tension from Geordi’s frame.

“Geordi, how are your injuries?” Data asked.

Geordi startled out of his daze and realized that Data had crouched down beside him. Data’s face was concerned, and it was likely he had been holding back on asking that question as long as he could.

Geordi gave Data his best unconcerned grin. “I’ll live.”

Data shook his head. “That is not what I asked. I do not want you to suffer more than necessary.”

Geordi sighed. “Everything stings a bit, and my back hurts, but I don’t think I need to worry about any of it.”

It had been two hours since his tumble, and the disgrace of it had worn off enough to leave him nothing more than exhausted.

“There is a cut on your cheek,” Data said, and he reached out and traced under the wound with a gentle thumb.

Geordi froze as heat rose to his cheeks. There was a small crease between Data’s eyebrows, and his gaze traveled carefully over Geordi’s face.

“Data, I’m okay. Really.” Geordi reached his hand up and took Data’s to pull it away from his face. He didn’t go of it. “It was a stupid fall, and I learned my lesson about watching my step. I’m not badly injured, I promise.”

Data gazed down at their joined hands. “I believe I am malfunctioning,” he said in a tight voice. “All evidence points to the truth in your words, yet I cannot rid myself of the suspicion that you are mortally wounded. I keep imagining a repeat of your fall, but in my mind, you do not get up.”

Geordi squeezed Data’s hand. “That’s normal, you know. Humans always worry about what could have happened. It means you care, Data.”

“Though I do not experience emotion the way that humans do, I believe what I am experiencing is close enough to ‘caring’ that I cannot disagree with your assessment.”

“Data….”

“Yes, Geordi?”

Geordi leaned forward and pulled Data into a tight hug. Data only stiffened for a split second, and then his arms came up to wrap around Geordi’s back. The angle was awkward, with Data still crouched and Geordi leaning forward on the log, but Geordi felt Data’s warmth seeping through the front of his shirt and that was enough to make the awkwardness worth it.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Geordi said into Data’s shoulder.

“I find I am similarly glad that it is you who is stranded on this planet with me.”

Geordi pulled away from Data and settled back. Data was gazing at him with his head tilted, and Geordi suddenly felt exposed under his scrutiny.

“Allow me to apply healing gel to your wound,” Data said.

“Okay,” Geordi conceded and sat still as Data reached for the first aid kit and opened the tin of healing gel. His fingers were steady and sure as they applied a dash of gel to his cheekbone. The numbing effect was instant, and Geordi sighed. 

“We should get some sleep,” Geordi said, and he grabbed his bedroll where it sat a few feet away from him.

“Agreed,” Data responded. “Sleep will help you to heal. We have two more days of hiking left until we get to the mineral deposit, but if you find you are too fatigued, we can take longer breaks. The terrain is growing more difficult to hike as we get closer to the mountains.”

As they began arranging their gear for sleep, Geordi realized with a slowly sinking heart that not everything had been returned to his bag after his tumble down the cliff.

“Geordi?” Data had finished setting up his tent and watched as Geordi stared forlornly into his pile of gear.

“My tent is gone.”

“Take mine. I am not as vulnerable to the elements as you are.”

“I’m not going to take your tent, Data. You may be less vulnerable, but you’re not invincible.”

“Of the two of us, I am resilient,” Data shot back. “Therefore—”

“We can share,” Geordi said quickly before his embarrassment could catch up to him. “These tents are technically big enough to fit two in an emergency. I’d say this is close enough to an emergency to warrant it.”

Data only paused for a moment. “You are right.”

As they prepared for sleep, Geordi tried to push everything from his mind but thoughts of getting a decent night’s rest in the safety of a tent that Data was gracious enough to share with him.

Data allowed Geordi to climb into the tent before him, and while he had some room, he laid out both of their sleeping bags. The Starfleet-issue survival tent only had enough clearance to get on hands and knees in order to reduce heat loss due to surface area, so it was cramped inside as Geordi adjusted their bedding. Again, he tried not to think too much about it.

“Alright, Data, come on in.”

Data climbed inside, and soon it was evident why two tents were much better than one. Their elbows bumped as they tried to rearrange themselves into some semblance of a comfortable sleeping position.

“Ugh, sorry,” Geordi said as he pulled his elbow out of Data’s stomach.

Finally, Geordi was able to settle on his side, facing away from Data. Data was quiet and still behind him, and the only sound in the tent was their breathing. Geordi could feel the warmth coming off of Data, but they weren’t quite touching despite the minimal space in the tent.

Geordi pulled his bedroll up over his shoulder and closed his eyes.

He must have fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes again, rain was pattering gently against the nylon roof of the tent. He had turned over in his sleep, and his cheek was pressed up against a warm chest.

Geordi would have immediately pulled back and rolled away if it hadn’t been for the arm that Data had wrapped securely around his back.

Lulled by the rain and the warm embrace, Geordi was quick to fall back asleep.

Geordi was in the tent alone when he woke up the next morning, and it made him wonder if he had dreamed that quiet moment in the middle of the night. He stretched, rolled up his bedroll, and exited the tent to find Data packing their supplies to prepare for the morning hike. The ground was damp and the layer of fallen leaves and broken branches were heavy with moisture. It had indeed rained the night before.

“Good morning, Geordi. Did you sleep well?” Data asked, turning to him with an open, curious expression.

Geordi smiled as he began dismantling the tent. “Like a rock. What about you? Did you engage your dream program?”

Geordi turned his attention back to Data when he realized that Data wasn’t responding. Data had a strange expression on his face.

“I was going to engage the program, but I decided to remain alert instead, just in case.”

Data’s arm around him in the dark. Data had been conscious. Geordi tried not to think too carefully about what that meant.

Data stepped up to him once Geordi had finished packing away the tent. Geordi was not prepared for the light touch on his chin. “How is your face?”

Geordi turned his cheek so Data could get a better look at the gash there. “It’s okay. Much better after you used the healing gel on it.”

“I do not know why Starfleet does not make sure dermal regenerators are stocked in every shuttle emergency kit.”

Geordi sighed. “If we put in a complaint with the captain, maybe he’ll have them added to the first aid kits.”

The morning was cool and clear, and Geordi started the hike with renewed energy. The mountain was closer and despite his tumble, he was feeling okay. This was the fifth day Geordi had been on this planet, and he was beginning to grow fond of its birdcalls and its plant life and the way the sunlight cut through the trees and cast Data’s hair in shades of auburn.

Geordi was in more trouble than he had thought. Geordi had had a crush on Data for a long time, but it was as they grew to be close friends that Geordi began to realize his feelings ran much deeper than a crush. Data was Geordi’s closest friend, and Geordi had been prepared to keep silent about his feelings in order to keep their friendship.

Geordi hadn’t counted on the chance that Data might discover Geordi’s feelings all on his own, despite his less-than-perfect understanding of human motivation. Data had gotten better at reading human emotion, and Geordi had gotten worse at hiding his feelings. Geordi had to start thinking about what he would do if Data found out.

Imagining that conversation was worrying enough, and they had enough on their plates at the moment. Geordi just needed to be on his best behavior while they were stranded here, and then he would start to come up with an emergency plan when they made it back to the Enterprise.

He thought about Data’s arm around him in the dark and wondered if that would be as easy as he thought.

“How deep do you think we’re going to have to dig to get to the deposit?” Geordi asked.

“Judging by these readings, the deposit is located only a few meters below the surface, easily accessible with phaser fire. The problem lies in the fact that it is a decent distance up the side of the mountain.”

Geordi sighed. “Well, at least we won’t be doing too much digging. And I could use the exercise.”

As the day wore on, the slope grew more and more uneven and rocky. Geordi had to devote most of his attention to making sure he didn’t step incorrectly and break his ankle. It was slower-going than he would have liked, but Data easily adjusted his pace to accommodate and was quick to offer a steadying hand if Geordi stepped wrong.

His back and neck hurt by the afternoon from looking down, and his legs were burning from the sloping climb. By this point, the trees were a different type than the surrounding forest, and they were spread more thinly. The air was cooler, and the closest peak of the mountain range towered over their heads. Geordi took a moment to pull his uniform jacket back on while he was searching in his pack for a ration bar.

“Would you like to take a break?” Data asked, tucking his tricorder into the designated pocket in his pants.

Geordi sighed. “I guess I could catch my breath.”

 Geordi sat on a small rocky outcropping and took a pull from his canteen. He had just filled it in a stream and it was ice cold and refreshing. In combination with the cooler air, Geordi was really starting to feel they had made it into the mountains.

“I estimate we will make it to the deposit in 49 point six hours.”

“I guess that’s not terrible. I was actually beginning to enjoy myself.”

“I have noticed your mood has improved considerably.”

“It’s less hot and humid than it was before, and we’re getting closer. Things are looking up! The Enterprise just has to be nearby when we break through the shield.”

“Unfortunately, without a communications array, we cannot send a subspace message,” Data added. “So yes, the Enterprise will have to be nearby.”

Geordi felt his stomach start to churn. The Enterprise could have been pulled away from the planet for any number of reasons, and if it wasn’t in orbit, Data and Geordi were stuck here. Then they _would_ have to find a way to send a subspace message.

Geordi finished his ration bar and sighed. “I can probably get a few more hours of walking in today,” he said, getting to his feet. “We should get going before it starts to get dark.”

That night, they shared a tent again, and though they started the night facing different directions, Geordi woke curled up against Data’s chest for the second time. Geordi wondered if Data had activated his dream program and if he hadn’t, if he was okay with this. Data would be the type of humor Geordi regardless of whether he wanted something or not. Geordi wanted to pull away, but he didn’t want to have that conversation with Data, so he allowed himself to fall back to sleep. When he woke the next morning, Data was already up and rustling around outside the tent.

On the last day of their hike, Geordi began to feel like they might actually get off the planet. They still had a good five hours of hiking left until they reached the area where Data’s tricorder was reading the mineral deposit, and the proximity was filling Geordi with renewed energy.

 Geordi was paying less attention than he should have been, and he stepped wrong on the rocky terrain and stumbled. Data reached out to catch him, but it was too late. Searing pain shot up from his ankle as he hit the ground with his hands out to catch himself.

“Geordi!”

Geordi sat up with a groan, brushing rubble off the heels of his hands. “Damn it!”

Data crouched next to him. “Geordi, are you alright?”

Geordi pulled his pant leg up from his right ankle to look at the damage. “I turned my ankle.”

“May I look?” Data asked, and Geordi leaned back to allow Data to examine the damage. Data’s fingers were soft and warm on his calf as he lifted the injured ankle to peer closely at it. Gentle fingers prodded around the joint, and Geordi hissed in pain.

“It is not broken, but I believe you may have sprained it.”

This wasn’t good. Not good at all. How was he supposed to continue their hike with a sprained ankle? They didn’t have any sort of medical equipment that would help a sprained ankle, other than gauze, which Data fished out of Geordi’s pack to wrap around his ankle to keep it bound.

“How are we going to get there now?” Geordi asked in despair. “I can’t walk on this!”

“I am strong enough to support you and the particle beam emitter.”

“I’m going to slow us down a lot.”

“I see no alternative,” Data said with a small frown. “You did not mean to fall.”

Geordi sighed. “I know. It’s just… we’re so close and  _this_ happens.”

“Luckily, I will have no trouble supporting you.” Data stood up and offered him his hand. Geordi took it and allowed Data to pull him to his feet. Data looped Geordi’s arm over his shoulder and let him take all his weight from his injured ankle.

It was slow-going but much faster than if Geordi’s support had been human. Geordi was fairly certain Data could carry him the rest of the way, but he knew Geordi well enough to not suggest it.  

The further they trekked up the mountainside, the more treacherous the terrain became. They had to skirt around ledges and avoid loose rock beds to make sure neither of them tumbled. If they fell now, it was likely they would roll until a tree stopped their descent. Geordi was sweating again, both from the change in oxygen content and from the exertion of keeping his weight off his injured ankle. He was glad Data was so steady, or this would be a lot more difficult.

The tricorder that Data held in his free hand led them to the mouth of a cave that yawned from the side of the mountain, its interior sloping into a darkness that Geordi didn’t like.

“Does the signal lead in there?” Geordi asked.

“Yes.”

Geordi sighed. “What are the chances that an animal makes that their home?”

Data changed the tricorder settings with his thumb. “The only life my tricorder is reading is insect life.”

“Well, at least there’s that.”

The cave was damp and cool on the inside, and the path of it curved away into the dark depths of the mountain. There was a stream that trickled along the bottom, which was likely what had caused the cave to form in the first place. Geordi hoped they wouldn’t have to venture very deep to find the deposit. There may not have been creatures lurking in the cave, but Geordi didn’t want to face a cave-in or whatever else could happen when moving through an unexplored cave.

Before it got dark enough to pull out a palm beacon, the cave widened into a large circular shape, with an opening at the top that allowed for light to leak through.

“The deposit is on the far wall of the cave,” Data said.

Geordi allowed Data to help him sit on the floor so Data could examine the wall unhindered. “The deposit is a meter deep,” Data said with a frown directed at his tricorder. “I will have to use a phaser blast to get to it.”

Geordi eyed the sloping ceiling of the cave. “A phaser blast wouldn’t bring this thing down on our heads, would it?” Geordi asked.

Data followed Geordi’s gaze upwards. “I will be careful.” He didn’t sound too certain.

Data stood a few meters back from the wall and aimed his phaser. The light from the phaser beam filled the cavernous room, and Geordi watched with trepidation as rock began melting away. When there was a sizeable chunk missing from the cave wall, Data lowered his phaser and opened his tricorder.

“I have reached the deposit of ceramite,” Data said, his face still bent over his tricorder. “We will have to take a sample of the mineral and move outside. We are too deep into the mountainside for our particle beam emitter to work effectively.”

“Can you get it out with your phaser?” Geordi asked.

“I will try.” Data changed the settings on his phaser and used a serious of short bursts, and in a few minutes, he had a chunk of rock in his hands. He set the rock aside and continued working with his phaser in order to get enough ceramite for their emitter.

There was a dangerous rumble in the walls, and Geordi tensed.

Data’s head shot up. “I must have disrupted the structure when I removed the samples.” He shoved the rocks in his bag and jogged to where Geordi was sitting. “We must leave here as quickly as possible.”

The rumbling grew worse, and Geordi practically leaped into Data’s waiting support. Together, they moved as quickly as possible out of the cave. Rocks began raining from above, and Geordi ducked his head. The light of day was visible, and the end of their flee out of the cave turned into a desperate tumble as the shaking grew worse and threw them off their feet. Geordi landed on the ledge outside the cave and threw his arms up to protect his head from the clatter of rocks around him.

Eventually, all was still. Geordi opened his eyes and stared up into the bright sunlight. He was unharmed, other than the painful, heavy throbbing of his ankle, and the ledge he was lying on was stable. He sat up.

“That was a close one, wasn’t it?” he said with a grin, before realizing that Data was not on the ledge with him. “Data?” He turned onto his knees to peer down the side of the mountain. If Data had fallen, he could be gravely injured.

Geordi could not see Data’s heat signature among the bristle and trees along the side of the mountain. He turned back to face the cave and saw that half the entrance had collapsed. Something twisted in his gut at the sight of the rubble. Where was Data? Geordi crawled towards the entrance of the cave, avoiding the larger pieces of rubble and ignoring the way rocks dug into the heels of his hands.

“Data!” There was just enough of the entrance of the cave left unblocked for Geordi to gingerly skirt around it. Sunlight only leaked into a small portion of the cave, but as soon as Geordi rounded the rubble, Data’s outline lit up his display like a beacon in the stuffy space. He was sprawled on his back and unmoving.

“Data,” Geordi breathed and leaned over him. Data’s eyes were closed, and on the side of his forehead, his synthetic skin had torn, revealing a blinking array of lights. Geordi placed a gentle hand on the side of his face and tried to get his panic under control. Panic wouldn’t help Data, but it was clogging his throat and making it difficult to breathe. Before Geordi could pull out his tricorder to assess the damage, Data’s eyes blinked open.

“Geordi?”

“Oh god, Data, you had me so scared,” he said with a tremor in his voice he couldn’t control. Tears pressed at the back of his eyes. “Are you hurt?”

Data’s eyes shifted in a way that meant he was running a self-diagnosis. “I was struck in the head by a falling rock, but all it did was break my synthetic skin and take my system offline for a minute and three point two seconds. I am functioning within normal parameters now.”

Geordi’s rabbiting heartbeat was beginning to slow, but the huge pile of rock next to them reminded Geordi how close he had come to losing Data.

“Geordi, I am okay. Judging by your breathing and facial expression, you are still distressed.”

“I was terrified, Data.” Geordi ran his fingers up to the spot on Data’s head where his skin was broken. "I’m always scared when you get injured. Scared that we won’t be able to fix you.”

Data was looking at him inquisitively again, and suddenly the culmination of everything that had happened over the past few days bubbled over. He was exhausted and heartsick and worried that they were never going to get off this planet, and Data had just given him a huge scare. Geordi bowed his head and rested it against Data’s chest as his eyes burned behind his VISOR.

Data’s hand came up and rested between his shoulder blades, a warm and welcome weight.

“I’m sorry, Data,” Geordi said with a thick voice.

“You have no reason to be sorry.”

After a few long moments in which Geordi collected himself, Geordi pulled back. When Data made to sit up, Geordi helped him with a hand on his shoulder. The pack was still on Data’s back and it made his shuffle to sit back against the cave wall awkward and off-balance.

Data reached a hand up to the broken skin on his face and prodded at it. Geordi leaned forward and pulled his hand away. “I’ll help you fix this when we get back to the Enter…” Geordi trailed off when he noticed how intently Data was looking at him. They were closer than Geordi had realized.

Like twin galaxies orbiting one another and pulling closer and closer, Geordi found himself being pulled towards Data. Data’s eyes flickered to his mouth, and then they were kissing.

The kiss was soft, and Geordi’s pulse stuttered when Data kissed him back. The angle was awkward—Geordi was on his knees leaning towards Data, who was sitting against the wall—but it felt right. Data’s hand pressed against the small of his back and Geordi spared a thought to how big Data’s hands were and how they might feel against his skin. He wanted to curl into Data’s warm glow and never let go. His mouth was soft and careful, a gentle pressure against Geordi’s and when Geordi had imagined this he had thought that Data would be more timid.

Geordi pulled back. “Data. Is this okay?”

Data tilted his head. “If it were not okay, I would let you know.”

Geordi’s gaze was drawn to the flickering lights on Data’s forehead which pulled him from the moment. “Let’s get off this planet. We’ll talk when we’re rescued, okay?”

Data nodded once. Together, they made their way out of the cave. The ceramite deposit was unharmed, and the particle beam emitter had survived the tumble. It didn’t take long to set it up on the ledge and aim it towards the atmosphere.

“I’ll use my comm badge to try to contact the Enterprise as soon as the beam starts,” Geordi said. “Hopefully they’ll get a lock on us immediately.”

“The emitter will hold the beam for thirty minutes with our current sample of ceramite,” Data told him. “The back part of the cave is completely closed up, so the Enterprise must pick us up during this break in the atmospheric shielding, or we will have to find another way off the planet.”

Geordi felt his nerves crackling.

“Alright. It’s now or never.” They had loaded the emitter with the sample, and Data powered it on. The beam was not visible to the human eye, but the hum of the machine set Geordi’s teeth on edge. It was a good discomfort because it let them know it was functioning.

Geordi activated his comm badge. “Geordi to Enterprise. We have broken through the atmospheric shielding. Beam us up.”

Silence. Geordi tried again. And again. More silence.

Data tried his badge. There was no feedback noise, which meant their signals were getting through, but there was no way to tell if anyone was receiving their signal.

Despair began to set in at the twenty-minute mark. Geordi was starting to think about what their long-term plan might look like when his comm badge burst to life.

“Mr. Data! Mr. La Forge! How good it is to hear your voices,” came Picard’s curled voice.

“Captain!” Geordi called back with a large grin spreading on his face. “It’s _wonderful_ to hear your voice. We only have a ten-minute opening left, so it would be greatly appreciated if you’d get us out of here as soon as you can.”

Data moved to Geordi’s side to support him through the transport, and when the buzz of the molecular transport finally set in, it had never felt so wonderful.

The next few hours were a flurry of healing and debriefing. Dr. Crusher had immediately ushered him to the Sickbay, and Geordi spent a good half hour on a biobed while she healed the injury to his ankle. Picard had stopped in at the beginning to hear both of their accounts of what happened on the planet, and had given their order of events—the Enterprise had spent the eight days that they were trapped on the planet running through as many scenarios to break through the barrier of the planet as possible. They had left the planet and were making their way slowly from the system when their sensors had read the break in the barrier, and they had high-tailed it back to beam them out.

“You had good timing, Mr. La Forge,” Picard said with raised brows. “Any later and we would not have picked up on the change.”

“I guess our luck was finally working for us,” Geordi responded with a smile.

Geordi felt the exhaustion weighing down on his shoulders after Picard left Sickbay, and he watched with heavy eyes as Dr. Crusher continued to work on his ankle.

“This wouldn’t have been so bad had you not continued to use it after it was sprained,” Crusher admonished.

“I didn’t have much of a choice. We had to keep moving.” Geordi responded, flexing his ankle and relishing the lack of pain. “Data helped me as much as he could.” Geordi looked up at Data, who had insisted on sticking with Geordi despite urgings to take a visit to Engineering to get his injuries tended to in a more suitable setting. One of the engineers had quickly mended Data’s forehead while Data stood beside Geordi in Sickbay.

“I should not have encouraged you to come into the cave with me. The fall likely exacerbated your injury,” Data said.

Geordi frowned. “You didn’t  _encourage_ me.”

Before Data could respond, Dr. Crusher cut in. “His ankle is all healed up now! You’re free to go.”

Geordi hopped off the biobed with a grin.

“I am so ready to take a shower and put on clean clothes,” Geordi said as he and Data stepped out of Sickbay. They had both been given two days off duty to rest and recuperate, and Geordi was looking forward to working replicators and his toothbrush.

“Geordi, I would like to talk to you after you have rested.”

Geordi felt his stomach drop with nerves. He nodded. “Of course, Data. I can stop by your quarters after I get cleaned up?”

Data nodded, something strange in his eyes that Geordi wasn’t quite sure how to interpret. Geordi knew what they would be talking about, of course, but he had no idea how it was going to go, and the not knowing caused anxiety to swirl in his gut. He knew that Data would be kind to him—it wasn’t in Data’s nature to be anything other than kind, but Geordi was accustomed to rejection, and coming from Data it would hurt all the more.

They parted ways, and Geordi retreated to his quarters to clean off the days of grime. The more of the dirt that sloughed off, the lighter Geordi felt. When he stepped out of the shower stall and pulled a sweater over his head, he felt a new sort of vigor fill him. He looked in the mirror and told himself that no matter how the evening turned out, he and Data had gotten off that planet alive and that in itself was a miracle. Geordi knew that he and Data were good enough friends that no matter what came out of this, their friendship would remain standing. There was nothing to do but go to Data’s quarters and figure this out.

When Data answered the door, he had also cleaned up. Geordi was surprised to see that he had changed into a pair of simple blacks pants and a long sleeve shirt—Data was rarely seen out of his ‘fleet uniform, but he also rarely took days off. It was a nice change.

“Come in, Geordi.”

Geordi turned to Data when the door closed behind him and bit his lip nervously. “Data, before you say anything, I just want to let you know that our friendship is the most important thing to me. Whatever else this might be, our friendship comes first.”

Data tilted his head. “I did not think our friendship was in question,” Data responded. “I was under the impression that a romantic relationship can stem from a friendship, and that those sorts of romantic relationships are preferable.”

Data’s words made Geordi smile, but it faded with his next words. “Well, yes, but sometimes failed romance between friends can make things awkward if they break off the romantic part of their relationship.”

“And you think that could happen to us if we attempted romance?”

Hearing Data say it out loud made Geordi’s pulse speed. “I don’t think so, but you can never be sure. It’s important that we set out with the goal to preserve our friendship, I think.”

Data was looking at him intently, and it was all Geordi could do not to flounder under that gaze. “You want a romantic relationship with me?”

Geordi sucked in a breath. “If that’s what you want. You’re the most important person in my life, and I want this to be whatever it  _can_ be.”

Data moved closer to him. “I would like to try a romantic relationship with you.” The warm feeling in Geordi’s chest bubbled. “You kissed me on Devlan V. May I kiss you, Geordi?”

“Yes,” Geordi breathed, and Data leaned down.

Where the kiss on the planet had been soft and careful, this one felt necessary for both of them, bolder and full of heat. Data’s hand rested on the back of Geordi’s neck, and his other arm wrapped around Geordi’s waist, holding him close. Geordi spared a thought to wonder if Data had done research on kissing, but then the kiss deepened and Geordi didn’t have any more thoughts to spare.

Data wasn’t human, and he wasn’t flesh and blood, but Geordi dared anyone to tell him that Data wasn’t  _alive._ That night they slept in Data’s bed together—they had not moved further than kissing, but Geordi didn’t want to be alone, and it seemed that Data shared that sentiment. Spot had curled up somewhere at their feet, and Geordi thought about how this android had wormed his way into Geordi’s heart and was sure to stay there.

"Being stranded on that planet was not pleasant," Data began in the quiet dark, "But it brought us together, and I cannot be completely ungrateful for that."

Geordi smiled. "I agree. I would never have been bold enough to kiss you otherwise."

Data was silent for a few moments, and when he spoke again, his voice was softer than before. "I have thought about starting a romantic relationship with you, and I had different scenarios planned to let you know that I desired it." 

Geordi's arm tightened where it was wrapped around Data's back. "Maybe someday you'll tell me about those scenarios."

"Anything for you, Geordi."

Data held Geordi in his arms and Geordi felt his heart settle.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [tumblr](http://sareks.tumblr.com)


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